Dive Brief:
- A federal judge in West Virginia ruled last week that a former Consol Energy Inc. employee who believes biometric hand scanning will lead to the “mark of the beast” predicted in the biblical book of Revelation will receive nearly $587,000 in damages, according to an article at TribLive.com
- The EEOC sued Consol in 2013, claiming the company failed to accommodate Beverly R. Butcher Jr.'s religious beliefs. According to the lawsuit, he is an evangelical Christian, TribLive reports. A jury in Clarksburg agreed in January that the Cecil-based company failed to accommodate Butcher's religious belief and awarded him $150,000 in damages. U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp on Aug. 21 added $436,860.74 for back pay and front pay.
- Butcher, 58, retired in 2012 when the company installed a hand scanner to log employees in and out of its Robinson Run Mine complex near Shinnston, W.Va. He objected to having either of his hands scanned as well as being asked to manually log his hours, the lawsuit stated.
Dive Insight
“This victory underscores two important American values: religious freedom and inclusiveness,” EEOC general counsel David Lopez said. Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp., which bought Robinson Run Mine and four other Consol mines in West Virginia in 2013, will appeal the decision, Murray spokesman Gary Broadbent said.
“The record is clear that Mr. Butcher failed to follow the contractually required dispute resolution procedures,” he said. “Further, Consolidation Coal Co. made a reasonable accommodation for his religious beliefs and never discriminated against Mr. Butcher.”
The employer here may eventually prevail on appeal, but the case clearly shows how HR needs to pay attention to religious beliefs concerning workplace accomodations.
